Introduction

The I-15 Express Lanes provide 20 miles of flexible travel between State Route 78 in Escondido and State Route 163 in San Diego to ease congestion and keep travel times reliable. View Fact Sheet.

High occupancy vehicles (HOVs), like carpools and vanpools, can use the Express Lanes for free - all day, every day. Transit services like Rapid, permitted clean air vehicles, and motorcycles also use the lanes for free.

Solo drivers can get FasTrak online or at Costco. Place the transponder on your windshield and the correct toll is automatically deducted from your FasTrak account based on trip length and traffic in the lanes.

The I-15 Express Lanes have been nationally recognized for their innovative designs. They are the first section of a regional system of interconnected Express Lanes. Their highlights include:

• Five Direct Access Ramps (DARs) and 16 other access points that give travelers a wide range of options of where to enter or exit the lanes so they can easily reach their destinations.

• New and improved transit stations are located near the DARs to support improved public transit options.

• The barrier in the middle of the Express Lanes is moved Monday through Thursday mornings so three southbound lanes provide congestion relief for rush hour commuters.

• Access to motorists 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in both north and south directions.

The Express Lanes cost $1.4 billion to construct, a portion of which was funded by TransNet, the half-cent sales tax approved by San Diego region voters in 2004.